Are you envious because I am generous?'

Reading 1 and//www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/1timothy/6:13 1 TM 6:13-16 BelovedandI charge you before God, who gives life to all things,and before Christ Jesus,who gave testimony under Pontius Pilatefor the noble confession,to keep the commandment without stain or reproachuntil the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christthat the blessed and only rulerwill make manifest at the proper time,the King of kings and Lord of lords,who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light,and whom no human being has seen or can see.To him be honor and eternal power. Amen. Responsorial Psalm and//www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/psalms/100and1 PS 100and1B-2, 3, 4, 5 R. (2)Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.Sing joyfully to the LORD all you landsserve the LORD with gladnesscome before him with joyful song.R.Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.Know that the LORD is Godhe made us, his we arehis people, the flock he tends.R.Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.Enter his gates with thanksgiving,his courts with praiseGive thanks to him bless his name.R.Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.For he is goodandthe LORD, whose kindness endures forever,and his faithfulness, to all generations.R.Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Alleluia and//www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/luke/8:15 SEE LK 8:15 R.Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generious heartand yield a harvest through perseverance.R.Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel and//www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/luke/8and4 LK 8and4-15 When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after anotherjourneying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. A sower went out to sow his seed.And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled,and the birds of the sky ate it up.Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew,it withered for lack of moisture.Some seed fell among thorns,and the thorns grew with it and choked it.And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew,it produced fruit a hundredfold. After saying this, he called out, Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear. Then his disciples asked himwhat the meaning of this parable might be.He answered, Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Godhas been granted to youbut to the rest, they are made known through parablesso thatthey may look but not see, and hear but not understand. This is the meaning of the parable.The seed is the word of God.Those on the path are the ones who have heard,but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their heartsthat they may not believe and be saved.Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear,receive the word with joy, but they have no rootthey believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation.As for the seed that fell among thorns,they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along,they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life,and they fail to produce mature fruit.But as for the seed that fell on rich soil,they are the ones who, when they have heard the word,embrace it with a generous and good heart,and bear fruit through perseverance. Reading 1 and//www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/isaiah/55and6 IS 55and6-9 Seek the LORD while he may be found,call him while he is near.Let the scoundrel forsake his way,and the wicked his thoughtslet him turn to the LORD for mercyto our God, who is generous in forgiving.For my thoughts are not your thoughts,nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.As high as the heavens are above the earth,so high are my ways above your waysand my thoughts above your thoughts. Responsorial Psalm and//www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/psalms/145and2 PS 145and2-3, 8-9, 17-18 R. (18a)The Lord is near to all who call upon him.Every day will I bless you,and I will praise your name forever and ever.Great is the LORD and highly to be praisedhis greatness is unsearchable.R.The Lord is near to all who call upon him.The LORD is gracious and merciful,slow to anger and of great kindness.The LORD is good to alland compassionate toward all his works.R.The Lord is near to all who call upon him.The LORD is just in all his waysand holy in all his works.The LORD is near to all who call upon him,to all who call upon him in truth.R.The Lord is near to all who call upon him. Reading 2 and//www.usccb.org/bible/philippians/1:20 PHIL 1:20C-24, 27A Brothers and sistersandChrist will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.If I go on living in the flesh,that means fruitful labor for me.And I do not know which I shall choose.I am caught between the two.I long to depart this life and be with Christ,for that is far better.Yet that I remain in the fleshis more necessary for your benefit.Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ. Alleluia and//www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/acts/16:14 CF. ACTS 16:14B R.Alleluia, alleluia.Open our hearts, O Lord,to listen to the words of your Son.R.Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel and//www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/matthew/20:1 MT 20:1-16A Jesus told his disciples this parableand The kingdom of heaven is like a landownerwho went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,he sent them into his vineyard.Going out about nine o'clock,the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard,and I will give you what is just.'So they went off.And he went out again around noon,and around three o'clock, and did likewise.Going out about five o'clock,the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,'Why do you stand here idle all day?'They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,beginning with the last and ending with the first.'When those who had started about five o'clock came,each received the usual daily wage.So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,but each of them also got the usual wage.And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,'These last ones worked only one hour,and you have made them equal to us,who bore the day's burden and the heat.'He said to one of them in reply,'My friend, I am not cheating you.Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?Take what is yours and go.What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?Are you envious because I am generous?'Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.